In order for schools' data-driven instructional efforts to be successful, teachers and administrators need robust training opportunities to enhance and maintain their skills. What does effective professional development for data-driven practice look like?
Big Ideas "...a corresponding shift from policies that seek to control or direct the work of teachers to strategies intended to develop schools’ and teachers’ capacity to be responsible for student learning." (Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin 2011)
- Professional development must: Engage teachers in a task related to teaching, assessment, and observation. It must be grounded in inquiry, reflection and experimentation. - Must be collaborative. - Must be ongoing, intense and sustained. - Must be supported by modeling and coaching. - Must be connected with all other areas of change. "Looking closely at one's own or someone else's authentic work stimulates tremendous growth" (Jamentz 1996 and darling-Hammond and Ancess 1994) - It must meet the individual needs of the teachers so that it is relevant - It needs to be evaluated for effectiveness and ajusted accordingly. (Need feedback and need to see PD used in classrooms.)
- Must be research-based
- Data must drive the decisions make for the focus of PD and you must continue to collect data to show what is being accomplished and to see if you are making a difference.
- Teachers must take the role of learner and shed the title of expert .
Professional development needs to be participant driven, involve teachers as both learners and teachers.
Enable teachers to develop expertise in subject content, teaching strategies, uses of technologies, and other essential elements in teaching to higher standards.
Effectiveness of teachers has been linked to better student achievement and PD should be the main source of teacher training from year to career's end.
Practical Tips
"Opportunities for professional development in schools... the formation of communities of practice that enable teachers to meet together to solve problems, consider new ideas, evaluate alternatives and frame schoolwide goals" (Szabo 1996)
- Have a simple walkthrough slip centered around PD and monitor progress.
- Not all PD needs to be ealuated by admistrators. Teaching PLCs to use data to drive decisions is powerful.
- Data must be at the source of all decisions.
Provide opportunities to observe, assess, and reflect.
Connect with the work of teachers and students.
Review and implement data results in a timely fashion.
Once decisions have been made based on data there has to be professional development suited to those needs. All too often we see large groups with a lecture being delivered. For some this might be helpful but for most teachers they are merely in the room. As an administrator one must be organized and creative. As an administrator we could have the ultimate skills at looking at data and identifying the trouble areas. This will have no effect if teachers are not on the same plan. Delivery to the teachers is just the same as delivery to students. If teachers are not engaged it is a waste of everyone’s’ time.
Interactive small groups are very successful. With these small groups teachers can collaborate and have effective dialog. As an Administrator small groups would seem to be most effective being that teachers are working together towards a common goal. When compared to large group PD the teachers are listening to a goal created by administrators.
Professional Development
In order for schools' data-driven instructional efforts to be successful, teachers and administrators need robust training opportunities to enhance and maintain their skills. What does effective professional development for data-driven practice look like?
Big Ideas
"...a corresponding shift from policies that seek to control or direct the work of teachers to strategies intended to develop schools’ and teachers’ capacity to be responsible for student learning." (Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin 2011)
- Professional development must: Engage teachers in a task related to teaching, assessment, and observation. It must be grounded in inquiry, reflection and experimentation.
- Must be collaborative.
- Must be ongoing, intense and sustained.
- Must be supported by modeling and coaching.
- Must be connected with all other areas of change. "Looking closely at one's own or someone else's authentic work stimulates tremendous growth" (Jamentz 1996 and darling-Hammond and Ancess 1994)
- It must meet the individual needs of the teachers so that it is relevant
- It needs to be evaluated for effectiveness and ajusted accordingly. (Need feedback and need to see PD used in classrooms.)
- Must be research-based
- Data must drive the decisions make for the focus of PD and you must continue to collect data to show what is being accomplished and to see if you are making a difference.
- Teachers must take the role of learner and shed the title of expert .
Professional development needs to be participant driven, involve teachers as both learners and teachers.
Enable teachers to develop expertise in subject content, teaching strategies, uses of technologies, and other essential elements in teaching to higher standards.
Effectiveness of teachers has been linked to better student achievement and PD should be the main source of teacher training from year to career's end.
Practical Tips
"Opportunities for professional development in schools... the formation of communities of practice that enable teachers to meet together to solve problems, consider new ideas, evaluate alternatives and frame schoolwide goals" (Szabo 1996)
- Have a simple walkthrough slip centered around PD and monitor progress.
- Not all PD needs to be ealuated by admistrators. Teaching PLCs to use data to drive decisions is powerful.
- Data must be at the source of all decisions.
Provide opportunities to observe, assess, and reflect.
Connect with the work of teachers and students.
Review and implement data results in a timely fashion.
Once decisions have been made based on data there has to be professional development suited to those needs. All too often we see large groups with a lecture being delivered. For some this might be helpful but for most teachers they are merely in the room. As an administrator one must be organized and creative. As an administrator we could have the ultimate skills at looking at data and identifying the trouble areas. This will have no effect if teachers are not on the same plan. Delivery to the teachers is just the same as delivery to students. If teachers are not engaged it is a waste of everyone’s’ time.
This short YouTube video hits major keys in successful professional development.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RJ-zUv-Qt4
4 Main keys:
Interactive small groups are very successful. With these small groups teachers can collaborate and have effective dialog. As an Administrator small groups would seem to be most effective being that teachers are working together towards a common goal. When compared to large group PD the teachers are listening to a goal created by administrators.
Resources
Iowa Professional Development Model (Video Segments)
2011 - Professional Development That Works - Kelleher (Excerpt)